Device for setting engine-valves



(No Model.)

P. W. WILLIAMS. DEVICE FOR SETTING ENGINE VALVES.

No. 448,490. Patented Mar. 17, 1891.

WITNESSES: x; Q INVENfO/f:

PATENT FFICEQ FREDERICK WV. WVILLIAMS, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

DEVICE FOR SETTING ENGINE-VALVES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 448,490, dated March 17, 1891.

Application filed May 1, 1890.

To a, whom iv may concern.-

Be it known that I, FREDERICK W. WIL- LIAMS, of Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and Improved Device for Setting Engine-Valves, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved device specially designed for overcoming lost motion and conveniently and accurately adjusting or setting the valves for engines.

The invention consists of springs adapted to eXert a pressure on the valve alternately in both directions in line with the travel of the valve.

The invention also consists of certain parts and details and combinations of the same, as willbe described hereinafter, and then pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a partof this specification, in which similar letters and numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improvement. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same as applied and with parts in section. Fig. 3 is a sectional end elevation of the improvement on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4. is a transverse section of the same on the line 4 4. of Fig. 2,

p and Fig. 5 is a diagram of the positions of the crank-arm of the engine.

In setting engine-valves as heretofore practiced considerable time was required to properly adjust the valve, owing to the fact that the valve operated under different conditions when steam was applied and when the operator had set it free from steam-pressure. In a locomotive valve-gear there are eight bearings on the left side and twelve on the right side. All of these hearings contain more or less lost motion. This when taken at the valve or valve-rod amounts to from one thirty-second of an inch to one-eighth of an inch, according to the condition of the engine. When live steam is admitted to the steam-chest it puts a pressure on the valve. This pressure amounts to the area of the face of the Valve in square inches multiplied by the steampressure per square inch in the steam-chest. To move the valve with this pressure on it causes the valve-gearing to be crowded to one side of its bearings while the valve is being Serial No. 350,198. (No model.)

pulled and to the other side when the valve is being pushed, and of course is the same on both sides of the engine and in both forward and backward motion. In setting valves when the engine is cold or without a pressure on the valve, the heft of the valve-gearing holds the different parts down in the center of the bearing. This lost motion is very hard to manage and is the cause of much trouble in setting valves. In order to overcome this difficulty, I provide temporary equivalent pressure for the valve by putting su'fiicient strain on the valve-rod to hold the different parts of the valve-gearing on the same side of their bearings that it is held to when there is a great pressure of steam on the valves, by means of springs, during the time the operator is engaged in setting the valve, the said spring-pressure being about equal to the steam-pressure under which the valve operates when the engine is running. This is accomplished in this manner: I attach the device to the gland-stud by means of a stud-nut and hold the lever upright. The clamp between the two springs is then clamped tight to the valve-rod. Now by throwing the lever back and putting the small pin through the hole in lever and also through segment it compresses'and holds the forward spring tight against the clamp on the valve-rod. This holds the valve-rod back. Now, if the crank were approaching the back dcad-center, the valve-rod would be moving forward. Now, to move forward it would have to compress the spring still more. Now, if the crank were approaching the forward dead-center, the valverod would be moving back, so the lever would want to be moved ahead and compress the other spring against the other side of the clamp. By this it will be seen I can put an artificial strain on the valve-rod, which is always opposite direction from which the valve moves. This is equal to a steam-pressure on the valve, for it causes the valve-gearing to exert a strain to move the valve-rod in either direction.

The setting device A is preferably applied to the Valve-stem B, connected in the usual manner with the valve and operated from the main driving-shaft and passing through the gland 0, held to the steam-chest by the usual studs D. On one of the latter screws a nut E, on which is held by means of a key E the rod F, extending alongside of and parallel with the valve-stem 13. The rod F passes loosely through a collar G, formed on the member ll of the clamping device II, adapt-ed to be clamped on the stem 13, and provided with a second member 11 connected with the first memberllbybolts [1 as is plainly illustrated in Fig. 4-.

On the rod F, on each side of the collar G, are coiled the springs I and I, each abutting with one end against the said collar, and at their other ends against collars J and J, respectively held to slide loosely on the rod F, and rigidly connected with each other by a bar K, pivotally connected at one end by a link L with a lever N, fulcrumed at 0' to a bracket 0 projecting downwardly from the rod F. ()n the latter is also formed a segment P, the center of which is in the pivot O, and which is provided with two sets of apertures I and 1, adapted to register With an aperture 1%, formed in the lever N, when the latter is moved to the right or left, swinging from its pivot 0. A pin Q, hung on a chain it, secured on the lever N, is adapted to pass through the registering apertures N P or N P so as to lock the leverN in a left-hand or rig.1t-hand position on the segment I.

The operation is as follows: When the operator moves the lever N from the position shown in Fig. 1 to the left, as illustrated in dotted lines in the said figure, and looks it in this position to the segment 1 by the pin Q, then,the spring I is compressed by the collar J sliding to the left, so that the said spring by pressing on the collar J, clamped to the valve-stem B, exerts a pressure on the latter. \Vhen the operator moves the lever N to the right, into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, then the other spring I is compressed by the collar J, and a pressure to the right is exerted against the valve-stem B. New in setting the valves of a locomotive, for instance,the operator first finds the dead-center of engine, and after finding this suppose the crank-arms stand at 5 of Fig. 5, with the reversing-bar in full gear ahead, the valvestem B then moves to the right, and the lever N is thrown to the left and locked to the segment 1 at one of the apertures 1 as previously described,so that the spring I exerts a pressure against the valve-stem B to the left, so as to hold the latter therein against all lost motion, just the same as the steam would when acting on the valve in the steam-chest. 'When the shaft is turned to the dead-center mark 4, (see Fig. 5,) then a mark is made on the valve-stem with the tram. The reversebar is then thrown in back-motion, and the valve-stem is marked as before for every one of the dead-centers. After the eccentric-rods are adjusted the eccentrics are set in the proper position for the necessary lead of the valve. Thus it will be seen that an artificial pressure is exerted on the valve-stem the same as when live steam enters the steamchest and the engine is running.

By this device considerable time and labor are saved in setting the valve, as the operator need not turn the shaft so many times in order to find the proper adjustment for the valve.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A device for setting engine-valves, comprising springs adapted to exert alternately in both directions a temporary pressure on the valve equal to the pressure under which the valve operates when the engine is running, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A device for setting engine-valves, comprising a rod adapted to be clamped to the valve-stem,springs on the r0d,and means for alternately compressing the springs to cause them to exert a pressure on the valve equal to the pressure under which the valve operates when the engine is running,substantially as described.

A device for setting engine-valves, comprising a rod adapted to be clamped to and alongside of the valve-stem, springs 011 the said rod, a compressing device on the rod, and a lever connected to the compressing device, substantially as herein shown and described.

4. In a device for setting engine-valves,the combination, with a clamp adapted to be secured to the valve-stem, of springs adapted to press on the said clamp in line with the travel of the valve-stem, connected collars fitted to slide and adapted to engage the said spring, and a lever connected with the said connected collars to alternately compress the said springs, substantially as shown and described.

5. In a device for setting engine-valves, the combination, with a clamp adapted to be secured to the valve-stem, of springs adapted to press on the said clamp in line with the travel of the valve-stem, connected collars fitted to slide and adapted to engage the said spring, a lever connected with the said connected collars to alternately compress the said springs, and means, substantially as described, for locking the said lever in position when one of the springs is compressed, as set forth.

6. A device for setting engine-valves, comprising a rod extending in line with the valvestem, a lever pivote'l 011 the said rod and adapted to be locked to a segment on the said rod, a link pivotally connected with the said lever, collars fitted to slide on the said rod and connected with each other, and also pivotally connected with the said link, springs coiled on the said rod between the said collars, and a clamping device adapted to be secured on the valve-stem and formed with a collar engaging the inner ends of the said spring, substantially as shown and described.

FREDERICK XV. XVILLIAMS.

Witnesses:

O. E. BREcKE, CHAS. D. RICHARDS.

IIO 

